NESCAC

[EnmoreCat]

Amherst 4 Bates 0

The weather gods didn't exactly smile on what was Seniors' Day at Amherst at TBTTIHF, but the result was well received. Amherst went 1-0 up about half way through the first half after some concerted pressure led to a goal.  Bates looked particularly dangerous on the break however and there were a couple of dicey moments for the Mammoths, with the keeper stepping up on at least one occasion.  Bates were awarded a penalty and to this uncultured eye, I was actually expecting it to be a free kick the other way, but what would I know?  Fortunately for Amherst, the penalty brushed the post from the outside and finished wide.  Of course, soccer is always about taking the chances on offer and not too long after that, Amherst got a second, a tidy finish from one of the seniors.  2-0 probably didn't quite feel right on balance, at half time, but 1.5-0 definitely would have.

The second half saw Amherst mostly in the ascendancy, with sufficient good chances to have been a few more goals in front.  With an eye to the Colby game tomorrow, there was some Amherst rotation (that sounds like a potential astronomical term to me) and one of the sophomores popped up with a brace in the last ten minutes and could have had a hat trick.  Two very nice finishes and in truth I think a pretty fair reflection of the game over the 90 minutes.  Had Bates converted the penalty and made it 1-1, that adrenaline shot may have made life tougher for the Mammoths, but it was a pretty controlled display from the white shirts (still my favourite Amherst kit, although the laundry staff will earn their keep cleaning them) which now sees them equal on points with Williams, at the top of the NESCAC standings, with a third clean sheet keeping this correspondent happy also.

One thing I was thinking about today was that I am yet to visit a field where the bleachers actually have a roof.  I am sure they must exist, but it is a bit of a difference to the New South Wales competition I am familiar with, where clubs must be able to provide covered seating. 

Foul count:

Amherst 11 Bates 15 so the Mammoths go down a second time this season, but were ahead 6-3 on yellow cards, partially redressing that.

[Yankeesoccerdad]

 Bowdoin 2—Midd 2

A tale of two halves.

Midd came out hot, scoring on a cross 90 seconds into the match. Midd looked dominant in terms of size and athleticism, and Bowdoin looked lost. 12 minutes later Bowdoin committed a foul leading to an another score off of a penalty. So Midd was up 2-0 after 15 minutes and it felt like the game could end 4-0. As the first half continued, Bowdoin's slowly steadied themselves and began to play with more confidence but the half ended 2-0.

Seven minutes into the second half, Bowdoin notched its first goal, scored by Felipe Rueda-Duran. At that point the momentum had fully swung and Midd appeared to be on their heels. Bowdoin had the better half and dominated play. Ronaldo Cabral scored the equalizer with 13 minutes to go. I am biased but it felt like had there been OT Bowdoin would have pulled out a win because they had the momentum the entire second half.

Midd is a very strong team so it was surprising they let Bowdoin back in the game and allowed them to dominate the second half.

Given how the first 15 minutes played out, it felt almost like a win for Bowdoin and the Midd fans seemed very disappointed.  Bowdoin showed a lot of grit and resilience coming back down 2-0 on the road to Midd. That grit will come in handy tomorrow as Bowdoin travels to Williams.

[northman]

That sounds like a very accurate summary, Yankeesoccerdad.  I went to the NESCAC athletics site briefly, and noted that Midd was up 2-0 over Bowdoin in the first 15 minutes.  Being the fair weather fan I often am, I concluded that this was gonna be a bad day for Bowdoin.  Can they possibly rally to be competitive the following day vs. nationally ranked Williams?

To confirm my fears, in the same moment, i noted that the Bowdoin women were already down 0-1 vs. Midd.  When I came back to the NESCAC site, I was amazed to see that the Bowdoin men had leveled at 2-2 and the Bowdoin women had leveled at 1-1.  I watched the final 10 minutes of the men's game and it seemed pretty even...heading almost inexorably toward a draw.  Then, amazingly, the Bowdoin women scored the winning goal in the 87th minute.  What looked like a disastrous day for the Polar Bears in western Vermont turned into a pretty good day.

Ironically, back in 2010, my wife an I addended a Bowdoin vs. Midd weekend in Middlebury...when the men lost on 0-2 on two direct kicks in a game in which they outshot the Panthers.  After the game, there was a feed for all the Bowdoin athletes (including mens and women soccer and field hockey) before boarding the bus for the long trip back to Brunswick.  The field hockey team had just beat Midd on their way to a Polar Bear national title that year.  Men's soccer lost their only regular season game to Midd on their way to the NCAA Final Four.  How things change over the years.  Now the Midd field hockey team is a juggernaut that wins national championships year after year.

[College Soccer Observer]

Concur with @Northman and @YankeeSoccerDad on their summaries of Midd vs Bowdoin.  Midd bounced back with a 3-0 win over Bates at home today.  Midd again scored early, and Bates appeared content to sit deep in a low block and hope for the occasional counter.  Midd had the overwhelming share of possession but could not add to the lead.  Bates had a dangerous free kick in the last minute of the half, but it was smothered by Grady.  The second half brought more of the same, and Tyler Payne added a goal halfway through the frame and then again inside the last 10 minutes for the final margin.  By the way, the NESCAC's out of conference record is now 26-1-1, with the only blemishes being a Bates loss and a Hamilton tie. 

[EnmoreCat]

Amherst 5 Colby 2

I wouldn't necessarily expect to see it mentioned in the National Perspectives thread, but at the start of play today, NESCAC had seven teams in the top twenty, at least according to Massey. I understand there may be issues with methodology etc, but a bit like the USA News college rankings, it at least serves as a baseline for discussion.

Colby was one of the super 7 inside the top 20 and have had an excellent start to the season, prior to today, yet to concede a goal.  Amherst was quick out of the blocks and it wasn't long before the purple shirts got a penalty, which was calmly converted.  Goals 2 & 3 were scored by Son of EnmoreCat.  I won't provide any details for the forward scouts other than to say that after dribbling past three Colby players, he successfully drilled two long range shots from well outside of the area. 

There was a bit of rotation after that, possibly "Amtics" to the less enlightened, but at half-time, it was 3-0 and that felt an accurate reflection. 

A fourth Amherst goal early in the second half should probably have meant game over, but Colby showed considerable spirit and kept playing.  They were awarded two penalties, which were extremely well dispatched and at least for this correspondent, suddenly triggered a rise in stress levels.  This saw a few more rotations to steady the ship and perhaps Amherst was unfortunate to not add more than one extra goal to the final tally of five.  The fifth was an outrageous finish, particularly given the poor weather at TBTTIHF.

All credit to Colby, my understanding is that their freshman class has made a strong contribution to the team's strong start to the season and I suspect they are on an upward trajectory.

It was Seniors' Day at Amherst today and so a great result for seven fine young men and their families.  This particular group has seen two national finals and a NESCAC Championship all whilst like all of the 2019 class nationally, dealing with covid (deliberately giving it the lower case treatment).  It has been a real pleasure to make their collective acquaintance and I wish them all the best for life beyond Western Massachusetts.  All are welcome in deepest, dark, Enmore.

[Bucket]

Congrats to your son! Certainly a moment to remember for him and his parents...

Amherst 5 Colby 2

I wouldn't necessarily expect to see it mentioned in the National Perspectives thread, but at the start of play today, NESCAC had seven teams in the top twenty, at least according to Massey. I understand there may be issues with methodology etc, but a bit like the USA News college rankings, it at least serves as a baseline for discussion.

Colby was one of the super 7 inside the top 20 and have had an excellent start to the season, prior to today, yet to concede a goal.  Amherst was quick out of the blocks and it wasn't long before the purple shirts got a penalty, which was calmly converted.  Goals 2 & 3 were scored by Son of EnmoreCat.  I won't provide any details for the forward scouts other than to say that after dribbling past three Colby players, he successfully drilled two long range shots from well outside of the area. 

There was a bit of rotation after that, possibly "Amtics" to the less enlightened, but at half-time, it was 3-0 and that felt an accurate reflection. 

A fourth Amherst goal early in the second half should probably have meant game over, but Colby showed considerable spirit and kept playing.  They were awarded two penalties, which were extremely well dispatched and at least for this correspondent, suddenly triggered a rise in stress levels.  This saw a few more rotations to steady the ship and perhaps Amherst was unfortunate to not add more than one extra goal to the final tally of five.  The fifth was an outrageous finish, particularly given the poor weather at TBTTIHF.

All credit to Colby, my understanding is that their freshman class has made a strong contribution to the team's strong start to the season and I suspect they are on an upward trajectory.

It was Seniors' Day at Amherst today and so a great result for seven fine young men and their families.  This particular group has seen two national finals and a NESCAC Championship all whilst like all of the 2019 class nationally, dealing with covid (deliberately giving it the lower case treatment).  It has been a real pleasure to make their collective acquaintance and I wish them all the best for life beyond Western Massachusetts.  All are welcome in deepest, dark, Enmore.

[Another Mom]

Congrats to your son! Certainly a moment to remember for him and his parents...

Hear hear! How great you were there to see them in person!

[Yankeesoccerdad]

EnmoreCat, congrats on the win and your son's performance.  I see you dropped the foul count and of course I assumed the numbers were lopsided in favor of Amherst.  When I looked at the foul and yellow card count, Colby won on both.  I almost think the team is on its best behavior because of your tallies. 

[EnmoreCat]

I was wondering if someone would notice Yankeesoccerdad! For the record, a third loss this season:

Amherst 14 Colby 24

And thanks to you, Bucket & Another Mom for the kind thoughts.  Hopefully, there are more to come.

[Yankeesoccerdad]

Bowdoin 2—-Williams 0

I had mixed feelings going into this game.  After an intense, physical game against Midd yesterday, how would Bowdoin respond against an opponent no player had previously beaten?  Bowdoin tends to substitute less than many other teams so perhaps they would be tired today, especially against a Williams squad that uses substitutes liberally?  And was Williams as good as Massey reports?  What about the Williams roster turnover?

The teams were lucky the field was in good condition despite the rain overnight.  Williams had a lot of fan support—students, families and local residents.  I wondered if Mr Right might be present but if he was I couldn't tell.

The first half ended 0-0 after what seemed like a fairly balanced back and forth.  Bowdoin tallied two goals in the second half, both by Tyler Huck.  Bowdoin had strong counterattacks all day, led by Huck, Cabral, Pacelli and Rueda-Duran.  GK Ainsworth was strong in goal, playing with growing confidence as the season has progressed.  He went up against two of the best keepers in the NESCAC (Grady and Diffley) this weekend and allowed the same number of goals as they did.

Williams seemed talented but young.  The team hung together well and battled throughout.  I was impressed that even after the second goal the team huddled and played hard with no internal bickering.  I asked a few Williams fans about the roster turnover but it was clear it was a non-issue to them.

Four points over the weekend was a great result given the level of competition (especially given the terrible 15 minute start against Midd).  Bowdoin seemed to learn a lot about themselves this weekend.  The season is young and there is a lot of soccer yet to be played but the boys should be rightly proud of how they played this weekend.

[PaulNewman]

Amherst 5 Colby 2

I wouldn't necessarily expect to see it mentioned in the National Perspectives thread, but at the start of play today, NESCAC had seven teams in the top twenty, at least according to Massey. I understand there may be issues with methodology etc, but a bit like the USA News college rankings, it at least serves as a baseline for discussion.

Colby was one of the super 7 inside the top 20 and have had an excellent start to the season,

Re: 2023 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective
« Reply #353 on: September 21, 2023, 11:34:26 am »

I wanted to comment on perceptions of that entity that hardly ever gets a mention...NESCAC.  In years past (think like 5-6+ years ago and earlier,) NESCAC fans often complained (and in hindsight with some good reason) that their teams were underrated in terms of polls, awards, etc.  I wonder if we're swinging a little too far in the other direction...six in the board poll with a 7th next in line in RV (Colby).  Poor Wesleyan...how come the Cardinals have been left out, which could get the number up to eight?

[EnmoreCat]

Amherst 5 Colby 2

I wouldn't necessarily expect to see it mentioned in the National Perspectives thread, but at the start of play today, NESCAC had seven teams in the top twenty, at least according to Massey. I understand there may be issues with methodology etc, but a bit like the USA News college rankings, it at least serves as a baseline for discussion.

Colby was one of the super 7 inside the top 20 and have had an excellent start to the season,

Re: 2023 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective
« Reply #353 on: September 21, 2023, 11:34:26 am »

I wanted to comment on perceptions of that entity that hardly ever gets a mention...NESCAC.  In years past (think like 5-6+ years ago and earlier,) NESCAC fans often complained (and in hindsight with some good reason) that their teams were underrated in terms of polls, awards, etc.  I wonder if we're swinging a little too far in the other direction...six in the board poll with a 7th next in line in RV (Colby).  Poor Wesleyan...how come the Cardinals have been left out, which could get the number up to eight?

Point very well made PN.  In my defence, I always go NESCAC first and don't tend to quickly review the other sections. 

[coach analytics]

Did anyone see the Conn Babson game?  Not sure I have seen that many cards recently.

[College Soccer Observer]

Reviewed the video, and the cards were almost all there.  Some really unnecessary fouls and cards by both sides.  Babson got 2 players sent off and Conn had 1.  Conn and Babson players headbutted/leaned on each other after a nasty tackle which led to the first two reds.  Babson player sent off later for 2nd yellow.  First was for crunching the keeper in the first half and second was for a late trip in the 2nd.  Only card I did not like was the yellow for shirt removal on the tying goal by Babson.  That is not a must in college soccer according to the rule book.

[coach analytics]

Reviewed the video, and the cards were almost all there.  Some really unnecessary fouls and cards by both sides.  Babson got 2 players sent off and Conn had 1.  Conn and Babson players headbutted/leaned on each other after a nasty tackle which led to the first two reds.  Babson player sent off later for 2nd yellow.  First was for crunching the keeper in the first half and second was for a late trip in the 2nd.  Only card I did not like was the yellow for shirt removal on the tying goal by Babson.  That is not a must in college soccer according to the rule book.

Thanks, i watch a lot of Conn games (love their style especially in the final third) and do not consider them a dirty team at all so I was surprised that a non league game go so out of hand.